Golf tee



T. FINN ETAL Feb. 26, 1963 GOLF TEE Filed Jan. 6, 1961 IN VEN TOR-5 A DRNEY,

United States Patent Office 3,979,153 GQLF TEE Thomas Firm, 145 idler Sh, Springfield Gardens, New Yorir, N.Y., and John i3. Finn, 425' Mount Prospect Ave, Newark, NJ.

Filed Jan. 6, 1951, her. No. 81,127 2 Claims. (Cl. Z73-212) This invention relates to golf tees.

An object of the invention is to provide a tee having a shank or peg adapted to penetrate hard soils, with a guard for the shank, which is preferably sharp-pointed.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention in enlarged or magnified views:

FIGURE 1 is mostly a central vertical section of the new tee with one form of guard;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the tee of FIG. 1, showing the guard compressed; and

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are central vertical sections of a tee with different types of guard.

Referring to the drawings for a detailed description, and at first to FIG. 1, the tee comprises a round head or body part or portion 7, the top of which is concave or cupped. The head or body may be made of any suitable material, as for example a synthetic resinous plastic or a suitable metal. The upper portion of a nail 8, or equivalent, including its head 8A, is embedded in the body 7, and the lower part of the nail extends a substantial distance below the body 7. The nail, being of metal, may be more slender than the usual wooden peg, and being also pointed, penetrates hard soil more easily. It will be noted that the lower portion of the body 7 has a circular recess 9 which is of reduced diameter in its upper portion. A hollow cylinder 1i of foam rubber fits into the upper reduced portion of the recess and is there secured to the body in any suitable manner, as frictionally or by an adhesive for example. The cylinder 11 spacedly surrounds the greater part of the nail and extends below the point of the latter, thus functioning as a guard, to prevent the nail from damaging a container or pocket in which it may be carried. When the tee is pressed into the ground, the foam rubber guard is compressed, as shown in FIG. 2, leaving the lower part of the nail exposed. As shown, the lower part of the recess 9 is of greater diameter than that of the guard, whereby there is no friction between the latter and the surface defining the lower part of the recess. On pulling the tee out of the ground, the resilient guard resumes the position shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 3, which shows a different form of guard, the head or body 15 is externally similar to that previously described, and it has embedded in it a nail 17 similar to the nail 8. In the lower part of the body, there is a cylindrical recess 18. A coiled spring 19, adapted to be compressed when the tee is pressed into the ground, surrounds the nail, and is secured at its upper end to the body 15, and at its lower end to a guard 21. The latter is a short hollow cylinder which surrounds the pointed end of the nail and extends a little below the point. When the tee is put into the ground, the guard rises against the action of the spring 19, the latter being Patented Feb. 26, 1933 2 compressed, and the guard moving into the recess. On pulling out the tee, the expansion of the spring pushes the guard to its position shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, which shows another form of guard, the tee body 25, as in the previous figures, has a nail 27 imbedded therein and extending therebelow, the body in this form being solid, i.e., without a recess. A hollow guard 28 surrounds the external portion of the nail, and extends a little below the point, and is removably attached to the body by complementary snap fastening elements 30.

FIG. 5 shows a tee with still another form of guard. In this, the head or body 33, having a nail 34 embedded, has a recess 35', at the lower end of which the body has an internal circular ledge or flange 3a, to retain a hollow, cylindrical guard 38 which has, at its upper end, an external flange 39 lying on said internal retaining flange. The hollow guard extends below the nail, and its longitudinally extending aperture, which at its lower end portion is only slightly larger in diameter than the nail, is enlarged thereabove to receive and seat a compressible, resilient, hollow member it which surrounds the nail and extends upwardly through recess 35 to the upper limiting surface thereof, and is shown as being of foam rubber, although a coiled spring or other resilient means could be substituted. The longitudinal bore through the member as is a little larger than the diameter of the nail, so that there is no frictional engagement. hen the tee is set into the ground, the guard 38 rises until it is entirely within recess 35, at the same time compressing member On removing the tee, the resilient member iii pushes guard 38 outwardly to its guarding position.

What is claimed is:

1. A golf tee comprising a cupped body portion, a pin extending centrally from and below the body and pointed at its free end and adapted to penetrate hard soil, and a guard of foam rubber surrounding at least the point of the pin, said body having a recess and said guard mounted within the recess and retractible at least partially into the recess as the tee is put into the ground.

2. A golf tee comprising a cupped body portion, a pin extending centrally from and below the body and pointed at its free end and adapted to penetrate hard soil, and a guard of foam rubber surrounding that part of the pin below said body, said body having a recess and said guard mounted within said recess and compressible at least partly into it as the tee is put into the ground, and being resilient so that it is self-restoring to its guarding position as the tee is pulled out of the ground.

References titted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 164,575 McCall June 15, 1875 1,055,582 Webster Mar. 11, 1913 1,600,297 Parkhill Sept. 21, 1926 1,633,686 Stone June 28, 1927 2,901,146 Powell et al Aug. 25, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 288,737 Germany Nov. 16, 1915 

1. A GOLF TEE COMPRISING A CUPPED BODY PORTION, A PIN EXTENDING CENTRALLY FROM AND BELOW THE BODY AND POINTED AT ITS FREE END AND ADAPTED TO PENETRATE HARD SOIL, AND A GUARD OF FOAM RUBBER SURROUNDING AT LEAST THE POINT OF THE PIN, SAID BODY HAVING A RECESS AND SAID GUARD MOUNTED WITHIN THE RECESS AND RETACTIBLE AT LEAST PARTIALLY INTO THE RECESS AS THE TEE IS PUT INTO THE GROUND. 